Skip to main content
Have a personal or library account? Click to login
A Push Toward Autocracy? The Effects of US Security Cooperation on Democratic Development in Africa Cover

A Push Toward Autocracy? The Effects of US Security Cooperation on Democratic Development in Africa

Open Access
|Dec 2025

References

  1. Allen, MA, Campbell, T, Hernandez, N and Shepherd, V. 2023. ‘US military deployments and the risk of coup d’état’. Foreign Policy Analysis, 19(1). DOI: 10.1093/fpa/orac027 [This and all links below were accessed on 5 November 2025].
  2. Braithwaite, A and Kucik, J. 2018. ‘Does the presence of foreign troops affect stability in the host country’. Foreign Policy Analysis, 14(4): 536560. DOI: 10.1093/fpa/orw058
  3. Bueno de Mesquita, B and Downs, GW. 2005. ‘Development and democracy’. Foreign Affairs, 84(5): 7786. DOI: 10.2307/20031707
  4. Cingranelli, DL and Pasquarello, TE. 1985. ‘Human rights practices and the distribution of US foreign aid to Latin American countries’. American Journal of Political Science, 29(3): 53963. DOI: 10.2307/2111142
  5. Coppedge, M, Gerring, J, Knutsen, CH, Lindberg, SI, Teorell, J, Alizada, N, Altman, D, Bernhard, M, Cornell, A, Fish, MS, Gastaldi, L, Gjerløw, H, Glynn, A, Hicken, A, Hindle, G, Ilchenko, N, Krusell, J, Lührmann, A, Maerz, SF, Marquardt, KL, McMann, K, Mechkova, V, Medzihorsky, J, Paxton, P, Pemstein, D, Pernes, J, von Römer, J, Seim, B, Sigman, R, Skaaning, SE, Staton, J, Sundtröm, A, Tzelgov, E, Wang, Y, Wig, T, Wilson, S and Ziblatt, D. 2021a. V-Dem Dataset v11.1. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3831905
  6. Coppedge, M, Gerring, J, Knutsen, CH, Lindberg, SI, Teorell, J, Altman, D, Bernhard, M, Cornell, A, Fish, MS, Gastaldi, L, Gjerløw, H, Glynn, A, Hicken, A, Lührmann, A, Maerz, SF, Marquardt, KL, McMann, K, Mechkova, V, Paxton, P, Pemstein, D, von Römer, J, Seim, B, Sigman, R, Skaaning, SE, Staton, J, Sundtröm, A, Tzelgov, E, Uberti, L, Wang, Y, Wig, T, Wilson, S and Ziblatt, D. 2021b. V-Dem Codebook v11. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project. Available at: https://www.v-dem.net/static/website/img/refs/codebookv111.pdf.
  7. Dalacoura, K. 2005. ‘US democracy promotion in the Arab Middle East since 11 September 2001: a critique’. International Affairs, 81: 963979. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2346.2005.00497.x
  8. Diamond, L. 2021. ‘Democratic regression in comparative perspective: Scope, methods, and causes’. Democratization, 28(1): 22442. DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2020.1807517
  9. Finkel, S, Perez-Liñan, A, Neureiter, M and Belasco, C. 2020. Effects of US foreign assistance on democracy duilding, 1990–2014: an update. University of Notre Dame. DOI: 10.7274/26125801.v1
  10. Freedom House. Freedom in the world: research methodology. Available at: https://freedomhouse.org/reports/freedom-world/freedom-world-research-methodology.
  11. Gisselquist, RM, Niño-Zarazúa, M and Samarin, M. 2021. Does aid support democracy? A systematic review of the literature. WIDER Working Paper 2021/14, Helsinki, Finland: United Nations University. Available at: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2021-14-does-aid-support-democracy-systematic-literature-review.pdf.
  12. Goldsmith, A. 2001. ‘Foreign aid and statehood in Africa’. International Organization, 55(1): 12348. DOI: 10.1162/002081801551432
  13. Grill, B, McNerney, MJ, Boback, J, Miles, R, Clapp-Wincek, CC and Thaler, DE. 2017. Follow the money: Promoting greater transparency in Department of Defense security cooperation reporting. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Available at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2039.html.
  14. Heo, U and Tan, AC. 2001. ‘Democracy and economic growth: a causal analysis’. Comparative Politics, 33(4): 46373. DOI: 10.2307/422444
  15. Husted, TF, Arieff, A, Ploch Blanchard, L and Cook, N. 2020. ‘US assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa: an overview’. Congressional Research Service. Available at: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R46368.pdf.
  16. Kalyvitis, S and Vlachaki, I. 2012. ‘When does more aid imply less democracy? an empirical examination’. European Journal of Political Economy, 28(1): 132146. Available at: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:poleco:v:28:y:2012:i:1:p:132-146.
  17. Lipset, SM. 1959. ‘Some social requisites of democracy: economic development and political legitimacy’. American Political Science Review, 53: 69105. DOI: 10.2307/1951731
  18. Mattes, R. 2019. Democracy in Africa: demand, supply, and the ‘dissatisfied democrat’. Afrobarometer Policy Paper 54. Available at: https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/publications/Policy%20papers/ab_r7_policypaperno54_africans_views_of_democracy1.pdf.
  19. Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Ibrahim Index of African Governance. Available at: https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/iiag.
  20. Omelicheva, M, Carter, B and Campbell, LB. 2017. ‘Military aid and human rights: Assessing the impact of US security assistance programs’. Political Science Quarterly, 132: 119144. DOI: 10.1002/polq.12575
  21. Robinson, JA. 2006. ‘Economic development and democracy’. Annual Review of Political Science, 9. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1082074.
  22. Savage, JD. 2017. ‘Military size and the effectiveness of democracy assistance’. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 61(4): 839868. DOI: 10.1177/0022002715595864
  23. Savage, JD and Caverley, J. 2017. ‘When human capital threatens the capitol: Foreign aid in the form of military training and coups’. Journal of Peace Research, 54(4): 542557. DOI: 10.1177/0022343317713557
  24. Scott, J and Steele, C. 2011. ‘Sponsoring democracy: the United States and democracy aid to the developing world, 1988–2001’. International Studies Quarterly, 55(1): 4769. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2478.2010.00635.x
  25. Sullivan, PL, Tessman, P and Li, X. 2011. ‘US military aid and recipient state cooperation’. Foreign Policy Analysis, 7(3): 275294. DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-8594.2011.00138.x
  26. Travis, R. 1995. ‘US security assistance policy and democracy: a look at the 1980s’. Journal of Developing Areas, 29(4): 54162. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4192497.
  27. United States Africa Command. 2019. Headquarters United States Africa Command FY20 Theater Posture Plan. Available at: https://www.africom.mil/document/33250/fy20-theater-posture-plan-october-2019pdf.
  28. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United States Department of State. “Foreign Assistance.gov.” Available at: https://www.foreignassistance.gov/data.
  29. United States Defense Manpower Data Center. DoD personnel, workforce reports and publications. Available at: https://dwp.dmdc.osd.mil/dwp/app/dod-data-reports/workforce-reports.
  30. United States Department of State. Foreign military training and DoD engagement activities of interest. Available at: https://www.state.gov/foreign-military-training-and-dod-engagement-activities-of-interest/ For reports from 2000–2016 see: https://2009-2017.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/fmtrpt/index.htm.
  31. United States Government, Joint Chiefs of Staff. 2017. Security Cooperation. United States Government, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joint Publication 3–20. Available at: https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/jp3_20_20172305.pdf.
  32. United States Government, Office of the Secretary of Defense. 2020. Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 President’s budget: justification for security cooperation program and activity funding.” (Revision 1) Available at: https://open.defense.gov/Portals/23/Documents/Security_Cooperation/Budget_Justification_FY2021.pdf.
  33. Vergun, D. 2020. DoD supports African partners in multiple ways. US Africa Command. Available at: https://www.africom.mil/article/32763/dod-supports-african-partner-nations-in-multiple-ways.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33534/sta.1003 | Journal eISSN: 2165-2627
Language: English
Page range: 4 - 4
Submitted on: Apr 24, 2025
Accepted on: Nov 9, 2025
Published on: Dec 1, 2025
Published by: Department of Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 2025 Dorina Bekoe, Stephanie Burchard, published by Department of Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.